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1. Design of infrared microspectrometer based on phase-modulated axilenses

   https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.390610  

   Chen, Yuyao; Britton, Wesley_A; Dal_Negro, Luca (June 2020, Applied Optics)

   We design and characterize a novel axilens-based diffractive optics platform that flexibly combines efficient point focusing and grating selectivity and is compatible with scalable top-down fabrication based on a four-level phase mask configuration. This is achieved using phase-modulated compact axilens devices that simultaneously focus incident radiation of selected wavelengths at predefined locations with larger focal depths compared with traditional Fresnel lenses. In addition, the proposed devices are polarization-insensitive and maintain a large focusing efficiency over a broad spectral band. Specifically, here we discuss and characterize modulated axilens configurations designed for long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) in the 6 µm–12 µm wavelength range and in the 4 µm–6 µm midwavelength infrared (MWIR) range. These devices are ideally suited for monolithic integration atop the substrate layers of infrared focal plane arrays and for use as compact microspectrometers. We systematically study their focusing efficiency, spectral response, and cross-talk ratio; further, we demonstrate linear control of multiwavelength focusing on a single plane. Our design method leverages Rayleigh–Sommerfeld diffraction theory and is validated numerically using the finite element method. Finally, we demonstrate the application of spatially modulated axilenses to the realization of a compact, single-lens spectrometer. By optimizing our devices, we achieve a minimum distinguishable wavelength interval of $\mathrm{\Delta <\#comment/>}\mathrm{\lambda <\#comment/>}=240\mathrm{n}\mathrm{m}$at ${\mathrm{\lambda <\#comment/>}}_c=8\text{µ<\#comment/>}\mathrm{m}$and $\mathrm{\Delta <\#comment/>}\mathrm{\lambda <\#comment/>}=165\mathrm{n}\mathrm{m}$at ${\mathrm{\lambda <\#comment/>}}_c=5\text{µ<\#comment/>}\mathrm{m}$. The proposed devices add fundamental spectroscopic capabilities to compact imaging devices for a number of applications ranging from spectral sorting to LWIR and MWIR phase contrast imaging and detection. 

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2. Quasi-monolithic heterodyne laser interferometer for inertial sensing

   https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.473476  

   Zhang, Yanqi; Guzman, Felipe (September 2022, Optics Letters)

   We present a compact heterodyne laser interferometer developed for high-sensitivity displacement sensing applications. This interferometer consists of customized prisms and wave plates assembled as a quasi-monolithic unit to realize a miniaturized system. The interferometer design adopts a common-mode rejection scheme to provide a high rejection ratio to common environmental noise. Experimental tests in vacuum show a displacement sensitivity level of $11\mathrm{p}\mathrm{m}/\sqrt{\mathrm{H}\mathrm{z}}$at $100\mathrm{m}\mathrm{H}\mathrm{z}$and as low as $0.6\mathrm{p}\mathrm{m}/\sqrt{\mathrm{H}\mathrm{z}}$above $1\mathrm{p}\mathrm{m}$. The prototype unit is $20\mathrm{m}\mathrm{m}\times <\#comment/>20\mathrm{m}\mathrm{m}\times <\#comment/>10\mathrm{m}\mathrm{m}$in size and weighs $4.5\mathrm{g}$, allowing subsequent integration in compact systems. 

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3. Phase-modulated axilenses for infrared multiband spectroscopy

   https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.388704  

   Chen, Yuyao; Britton, Wesley_A; Dal_Negro, Luca (April 2020, Optics Letters)

   We design and characterize compact phase-modulated axilens devices that combine efficient point focusing and grating selectivity within four-level phase mask configurations. Specifically, we select and characterize in detail two device configurations designed for long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) operation in the $6\text{µ<\#comment/>}\mathrm{m}-<\#comment/>12\text{µ<\#comment/>}\mathrm{m}$wavelength range. These devices are ideally suited for monolithic integration atop the substrate layers of infrared focal plane arrays (IR-FPAs) for use in multiband LWIR photodetection. We systematically study their focusing efficiency, spectral response, and crosstalk ratio, and we demonstrate a single-component microspectrometer. Our design method leverages the Rayleigh–Sommerfeld (RS) diffraction theory that is validated numerically using the finite element method (FEM). The proposed devices are broadband and polarization insensitive and add fundamental spectroscopic capabilities to miniaturized optical components for a number of applications in LWIR detection and spectroscopy. 

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4. Ultra-high extinction ratio polarization beam splitter with extreme skin-depth waveguide

   https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.420824  

   Ahmed, Syed_Z; Ahmed, Ishtiaque; Mia, Md_Borhan; Jaidye, Nafiz; Kim, Sangsik (April 2021, Optics Letters)

   In this Letter, we present a high extinction ratio and compact on-chip polarization beam splitter (PBS), based on an extreme skin-depth (eskid) waveguide. Subwavelength-scale gratings form an effectively anisotropic metamaterial cladding and introduce a large birefringence. The anisotropic dielectric perturbation of the metamaterial cladding suppresses the TE polarization extinction via exceptional coupling, while the large birefringence efficiently cross-couples the TM mode, thus reducing the coupling length. We demonstrated the eskid-PBS on a silicon-on-insulator platform and achieved an ultra-high extinction ratio PBS ( $\approx <\#comment/>60\mathrm{d}\mathrm{B}$for TE and $\approx <\#comment/>48\mathrm{d}\mathrm{B}$for TM) with a compact coupling length ( $\approx <\#comment/>14.5\text{µ<\#comment/>}\mathrm{m}$). The insertion loss is also negligible ( $<<\#comment/>0.6\mathrm{d}\mathrm{B}$). The bandwidth is $><\#comment/>80$(30) nm for the TE (TM) extinction ratio $><\#comment/>20\mathrm{d}\mathrm{B}$. Our ultra-high extinction ratio PBS is crucial in implementing efficient polarization diversity circuits, especially where a high degree of polarization distinguishability is necessary, such as photonic quantum information processing. 

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5. Spectroscopic study of the 4 f ⁷ 6 s ^{2 8} S 7/2∘−4 f ⁷ ( ⁸ S ^∘ )6 s 6 p ( ¹ P ^∘ ) ⁸ P _9/2 transition in neutral europium-151 and europium-153: absolute frequency and hyperfine structure

   https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAB.467968  

   Herd, M_T; Maruko, C.; Herzog, M_M; Brand, A.; Cannon, G.; Duah, B.; Hollin, N.; Karani, T.; Wallace, A.; Whitmore, M.; et al (September 2022, Journal of the Optical Society of America B)

   We report on spectroscopic measurements on the $4f^{7}6s^2{}^8{S}_{7/2}^{\circ <\#comment/>}\to <\#comment/>4f^7{(}^8{S}^{\circ <\#comment/>}\left)6s6p{(}^1{P}^{\circ <\#comment/>}\right){}^8{P}_{9/2}$transition in neutral europium-151 and europium-153 at 459.4 nm. The center of gravity frequencies for the 151 and 153 isotopes, reported for the first time in this paper, to our knowledge, were found to be 652,389,757.16(34) MHz and 652,386,593.2(5) MHz, respectively. The hyperfine coefficients for the $6s6p{(}^1{P}^{\circ <\#comment/>}){}^8{P}_{9/2}$state were found to be $\mathrm{A}\left(151\right)=-<\#comment/>228.84\left(2\right)\mathrm{M}\mathrm{H}\mathrm{z}$, $\mathrm{B}\left(151\right)=226.9\left(5\right)\mathrm{M}\mathrm{H}\mathrm{z}$and $\mathrm{A}\left(153\right)=-<\#comment/>101.87\left(6\right)\mathrm{M}\mathrm{H}\mathrm{z}$, $\mathrm{B}\left(153\right)=575.4\left(1.5\right)\mathrm{M}\mathrm{H}\mathrm{z}$, which all agree with previously published results except for A(153), which shows a small discrepancy. The isotope shift is found to be 3163.8(6) MHz, which also has a discrepancy with previously published results. 

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